Once again the riders will battle the terrain and the elements as they traverse the 120km journey from Cootamundra to Young, across to Harden and back to Coota, with the reward for the victor being the opportunity to add his or her name to the prestigious list of annual winners that reads as a who’s who of handicap cycle racing in this state.

And while the number of competitors is down on previous years impacting on the quality, particularly at the back end of the field, what is has done is thrown the race wide open.

One of the reasons for the shortfall of entries is the fact the Tour of the Murray starts on Sunday, with a number of the semi professional teams and more serious riders having committed themselves to that event.

“There’s no doubting numbers are down slightly,” Cootamundra Cycle Club president Mark Loiterton said, “and the tour in Victoria has played a part in that.

“However, what it has done is given every group a realistic chance of figuring in the finish.

“In previous years you could look at the scratch bunch and confidently say they would be hard to hold out and, while that still may be the case this weekend, I believe it is one of the most open annuals in recent times.”

Nine bunches have been formed for tomorrow’s race, with the limit riders given a 36-minute start over the elite group of nine ‘scratchies’ .

“A lot will depend on the weather, it always does,” Loiterton said.

“If the front bunches can stay together and stay out of trouble, they may find themselves in the lead for a long way.

“If they get a cross tail wind from Young to Harden the front bunches get first use of this breeze meaning it’s harder for the back groups to peg back time over a very undulating part of the course.

“Bunches will invariably come together, but it depends on which bunches they are and where they join, that can have a big bearing on the race.

“In recent years, the scratchies had the others in their sights heading into Harden, but maybe this year the leading groups will make the tough climb back out of Harden with a big enough gap.

“With only nine in the scratch group they can’t afford to drop anyone early, but looking at the names in there, they are all workers.

“It’s disappointing not to have more of the big names, riders we know who love coming to Coota especially for the annual, but is has certainly made it an open affair.”